VERSIONS OF THE TRUTH

Back in 1993 I became aware of a band called Vulgar Unicorn, and after reviewing their demo tapes was pleased when they signed a deal and went on to release CDs. Then guitarist Bruce Soord started a side project called Pineapple Thief (no "The" in the early days) and released 'Abducting The Unicorn' (get it?) in 1999. Back then it was basically Bruce, and I don't think any of us imagined that not only would The Pineapple Thief still be going all these years later but that they would be releasing albums through a major label such as Kscope. It is the same line-up as the last few albums, so joining Bruce (guitar, vocals) is Steve Kitch (keyboards), Jon Sykes (bass) and Gavin Harrison (drums).

I have not heard any of their albums since 2012's 'All The Wars', which has the same line-up apart from Gavin, and I really enjoyed that one so what would this one be like? I think the only way to describe this is that it is pleasant in a non-threatening and non-compelling manner. Everything is, well, nice. Everyone is playing well, but there is little in the way of emotion and in many ways, and when at the end of "Demons" Bruce sings "it was only supposed to be a short- term thing" I wonder if he is really singing about the band itself. When one thinks of the lyrics in that way, then quite a few of the numbers taken on a different light, such as "Driving Like Maniacs". It feels prog lite; this is never going to upset anyone but at the same time it is not going to drive much excitement either. Given my history with the early days of the band I was really excited about the opportunity of hearing this, but I came away relatively unimpressed. As I said, it is nice and gentle, but I need more than that.

After the masterpiece that was Dissolution, Pinneaple Thief returned with Versions of the Truth!

However, the British are not able to replicate the quality of their two previous works, mainly due to the abuse of slow songs that end up offering an irregular and sometimes even boring experience.

In spite of everything, if you like the stage of the band with Gavin Harrison, you will enjoy some songs that remind us of the best moments of Dissolution, with whose discarded songs this Versions of the Truth surely was woven together.

Best Tracks: Versions of the Trugh, Break It All, Demons, Leve Me Be and Our Mire... The rest are dull mid- tempos.

My Rating: ***

British alternative rockers The Pineapple Thief released their thirteenth studio album in September of 2020, some two years after the nearly-perfect 'Dissolution', an album that certainly cemented them as one of the most interesting progressive bands of the 2010s. 'Versions of the Truth' happens to be the third album with iconic drummer Gavin Harrison, now a full-time member the of PT, an addition that certainly elevated their musical presentation, and it should come as no surprise that Bruce Soord and Harrison share the writing credits for this release. But how does this album stand up to the rest of the band's catalogue?

As it happens quite often with bands that are either entirely or borderline in the progressive rock scene, album #13 turns out to be a disappointment (some examples would be Dream Theater, The Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, Yes, PFM, and so on). Unfortunately, The Pineapple Thief also fall into this trap, with 'Versions of the Truth' sounding more like a collection of songs that have been left off a Bruce Soord solo session. The entire record is really carried by the first four songs (which also happen to be the singles); Opener 'Versions of the Truth' is an intriguing piece that builds-up slowly just to reveal some masterful melodies, topped by the gorgeous drum sound and the introspective lyrics, 'Break It All' might be the best moment on the album, an excellent example of what this band is best at - haunting songs that are cautiously produced and never overplayed, very minimalistic but memorable. 'Demons' is another highlight, on which Soord delivers effortlessly a crisp and emotive vocal performance; the instrumentation is once again severely beautiful. Then comes 'Driving Like Maniacs', a softer entry than the more alt-rock-driven trio coming before it, is a decent song that reminisces some late 90s Porcupine Tree.

The rest of the album is quite polarizing, with some songs being completely directionless and downright forgettable and boring ('Leave Me Be', 'Out of Line', 'The Game'), to some better offerings that could still hardly stand up to the band's best; Songs like 'Our Mire' and 'Stop Making Sense' feel comfortable but not too impressive, with the length of the former (seven and a half minutes) being hardly justifiable, for example.

Overall, 'Versions of the Truth' is an enjoyable, and even somewhat uplifting, listen for the most part despite the fact this time the band focuses more on slower songs without much build-up and with more introverted soundscapes. The big let-down of this thirteenth offering from the excellent Pineapple Thief, however, is that the album loses focus as it progresses, with some songs beginning to sound dull and monotonous. Comparing it with the band's previous two releases (that also featured Gavin Harrison on drums), it has to be said that 'Versions' is entirely eclipsed by both.

It's rare for me to go into a band's latest studio album having already heard most of it from their most recent live record but that was the case here. I knew six of these songs because of the live "Nothing But The Truth" so the love for this was immediate. Sure hearing this band's new sound on that live one was actually unsettling at first, too commercial sounding at times but man I became addicted to these songs very quickly. I'm pretty much a fanboy here so take that into consideration but this is a strong 4 star album in my world. Soord is a master lyricist and Gavin Harrison helps in that regard here along with being one of the greatest drummers on this earth.

The first two tracks "Versions Of The Truth" and "Break It All" opened and closed disc one of "Nothing But The Truth" and what a way to get the album rolling. "Break It All" is a top three in particular with Harrison impressing around 2 1/2 minutes. Some powerful music here. "Demons" is so uplifting at times as the sound drifts and the next one "Driving Like Maniacs" is a favourite of mine and I'm glad the live recording has them back to back as well.

"Leave Me Be" is pretty intense at times in a TPT manner. Check out the bass and organ after 3 minutes. "Our Mire" has this 80's sound to start before calming right down with vocals. So catchy when it picks up. Love the lyrics too. Uplifting stuff and a top three. Some emotion on "Out Of Line" with those vocals. Love that bass. Restrained with some beautiful guitar after a minute. A top three. I will admit the last two tracks are a little disappointing the album could have ended stronger than this.

Still fighting for this band in 2022 but I am really interested in what is coming next.